COLUMN: Living by the Five P's
I don't know about you, but I strongly live my life by the Five P's.
I'm the youngest daughter of a Polish man who runs a restaurant that serves primarily Italian and Mexican food. Growing up, living by the Five P's was the No. 1 thing my dad instilled in my sisters and I as we helped fold pizza boxes or sweep the kitchen floor.
We'd take family trips to Chicago each summer, and every time I dragged my dad by the hand into the American Girl Doll store, I'd point things out to him that I wanted. But, every time I showed him a different item, he, in turn, pointed out the price tag.
"If you want things in life, you have to live by the Five Ps," he said.
The Five P's? I was eight. I had no idea what he meant.
"Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. If you want something, you have to properly plan, to prevent poor performance later."
The rest of that weekend, I repeated the phrase in my head.
The next time I went to my dad's restaurant, he explained to me that if I were to help out around the restaurant, he'd pay me. That way, when we took our next trip to Chicago, I could purchase more doll accessories.
"The Five P's, right, Dad?"
"Absolutely."
My dad has been in the business for 35 years. He turns 54 this year. You can do the math.
In 1978, after just finishing high school, my father decided he didn't want to work on the railroad like his father and older brothers. So, he got a small loan and opened Vitale's Pizza of Rockford.
He's been serving the Rockford community ever since.
